On a recent weekend, I listened to an interview of Tom Emmer (conducted by Mitch Berg) that left me disappointed. The question arose of whether Emmer supported corporatism, or as anyone else would put it, “doing something to help the Vikings stay in Minnesota.” From what I recall, Emmer punted. To paraphrase the Republican nominee, he does not favor funding a stadium through the State […]
True North
Avoiding Gerrymanders, Iowa-Style
Is it possible to take the gerrymandering out of redistricting? I’ve long been intrigued by the approach used by Iowa, which relies on an independent, non-partisan commission that is given strict instructions on how it is to draw the lines. Stateline.org looks at the Iowa approach and contrasts it with those used in other states.
Mayor Chills Speech
Mike Maguire, the mayor of Eagan, Minnesota, doesn’t like to see political yard signs this time of year, so he’s suggesting that candidates, in the words of ThisWeek newspapers, “join him in signing a pledge to delay putting up yard signs until closer to the election.” #Civics Fail Sorry, mayor, but democracy is indeed cluttered and filled with political noise, as you suggest. Then again, that’s […]
Coffee at the public library
The Star-Tribune reports on one of the latest “new” developments in the Dakota County (Minnesota) library system: A space set aside for a coffee shop at the Eagan library has remained unused, 18 months after a major remodeling project of the building. There are several problems with the cafe proposal. Is the sound of coffee grinders compatible with the quiet tones of a library? Can […]
Good things CAN happen on Monday
As widely expected, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a monumental ruling this morning. As the Washington Post put it, “The Supreme Court ruled for the first time Monday that the Second Amendment provides all Americans a fundamental right to bear arms, a long-sought victory for gun rights advocates who have chafed at federal, state and local efforts to restrict gun ownership.” There’s plenty of murkiness […]
District consolidation saves money–but only to a point
Would Minnesota benefit from having fewer school districts? I don’t know, but based on the evidence I’ve read, I’m skeptical. Here’s what I know after some research into the question: Matthew Andrews, William Duncombe, and John Yinger (all of Syracuse University) say there may be some efficiencies to be gained from moving from consolidating very small districts–specifically, those with 500 or fewer students to those with 2,000 […]
Colorado cripples teacher tenure
Give President Obama credit for one thing: We may look back years from now and credit his Race to the Top fund for launching the beginning of the end of teacher tenure. Colorado is on the verge of enacting a law that would dramatically weaken tenure. Money available from the fund was enticing enough to get the school board association, one of the teacher unions, […]
Online learning in Minnesota thrives
If you’re looking for a bright spot in K-12 education, check out an article in the current edition of the Minnesota Sun on the Minnesota Connections Academy, one of two dozen or so online options available to Minnesota students. The article mentions several families who benefit from online programs: A girl in Eagan who was failing classes, suffers from some learning deficiencies, is now on the honor […]
City-owned businesses unfair to residents
City goverments too often compete against their residents by operating government-owned enterprises. When they do, they run into a problem that could easily have been avoided. Today, the Apple Valley, Rosemount & Eagan Sun-Current published a letter I wrote in response to an earlier article. No place to compete According to an article in the September 17 edition (“Eagan council looks at treatment of competing […]
How much will ObamaCare cost? Plenty
There are plenty of health-related reasons to oppose ObamaCare: It will lead to rationing by government, could stifle innovation in medical treatments, put the force of government behind cookbook medicine, and so forth. But did you know that it could also be very painful to the economy? Arthur Laffer says that it could cost each man, woman, and child in the U.S. $4,354, reduce economic […]